Chapter 1 of Contagion is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Contagion is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Minos was such a lovely planet. Not a thing seemed wrong with it. Excepting the food, perhaps. And a disease that wasn't really. It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
Chapter 1 of Contagion is here in full — 489 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading “And a disease that wasn't really.”
-ing form of “except” — take exception to
From this reading “Excepting the food, perhaps.”
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading “It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.”
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading “Excepting the food, perhaps.”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.”
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading “Minos was such a lovely planet.”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Minos was such a lovely planet.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “Not a thing seemed wrong with it.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a disease that wasn't really.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading And a disease that wasn't really.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
-ing form of “except” — take exception to
From this reading Excepting the food, perhaps.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading Excepting the food, perhaps.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was like an Earth forest in the fall, but it was not fall.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
son of Zeus and Europa; king of ancient Crete; ordered Daedalus to build the labyrinth; after death Minos became a judge in the underworld
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
by chance
From this reading Excepting the food, perhaps.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading And a disease that wasn't really.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And a disease that wasn't really.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Excepting the food, perhaps.
a special situation
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Minos was such a lovely planet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And a disease that wasn't really.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Not a thing seemed wrong with it.
Chapter 1 of Contagion by Katherine MacLean holds 489 sentences, grouped into 98 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 489 sentences of Contagion, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Contagion by Katherine MacLean exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 489 sentences, grouped into 98 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Contagion by Katherine MacLean on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 976 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 81 minutes of reading across 196 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Contagion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Contagion to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Contagion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
